Forests

Recreation groups angle to open more lands to off-road vehicles, call for ESA reform

OnPoint: Friday, July 15, 2005

Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth says illegal off-road vehicle use is one of the top threats to national forests, eroding soil and destroying habitat. But ORV groups contend that the Endangered Species Act and other laws put too much land off limits to law-abiding riders. How will new rules from the Forest Service address ORV use? Do federal officials have the resources to enforce the regulations? And how could changes to ESA affect recreational lands? Scott Kovarovics, director of the National Trails and Waters Coalition, and Jack Welch, president of the Blue Ribbon Coalition, explain the dueling priorities facing federal land managers.